This invention concerns an improvement and further development of the method according to the U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 444,552, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,957,512, herein incorporated by reference, for the preparation of relief structures of highly heat-resistant polymers by applying radiation-sensitive, soluble preliminary polymers to a substrate in the form of a layer or a foil; irradiating the radiation-sensitive layer or foil through negative patterns; dissolving or removing the nonirradiated layer or foil parts and, optionally, subsequently annealing the relief structures obtained, using polyaddition or polycondensation products of polyfunctional carbocyclic or heterocyclic compounds containing radiation-sensitive radicals, with diamines diisocyanates, bis-acid chlorides or dicarboxylic acids as the soluble preliminary polymers wherein:
A. THE POLYFUNCTIONAL COMPOUNDS CONTAINING RADIATION-SENSITIVE RADICALS R* contain two carboxyl, carboxylic acid chloride, amino, isocyanate or hydroxyl groups suitable for addition or condensation reactions and, partly in ortho or peri position thereto, radiation-reactive groups, bound to carboxyl groups, as esters having the following structure:
______________________________________ ##STR1## R=oxyalkylene ##STR2## R.sub.1 =alkyl, phenyl, alkoxyphenyl or halogenphenyl ##STR3## R.sub.2 =H, Cl, alkyl or alkoxy R.sub.3 =carbocycl ic or heterocyclic, aromatic nucleus bound via ring carbon atom ##STR4## ##STR5## ##STR6## ##STR7## ______________________________________
and wherein;
b. the diamines, diisocyanates, bis-acid chlorides or dicarboxylic acids to be reacted with these compounds contain at least one cyclic structure element.